Drumming is a very physical activity involving major and fine motor skills. The positioning or placement of percussion instruments included in a drum kit is important to a drum player's performance. Over time during practice, a drummer may precisely adjust or “fine tune” the positioning of the percussion instruments, hardware and equipment (e.g., high hats, cymbals stands, tom-tom stands, bass drums, pedals, etc.), in an attempt to find an ergonomic and desirable placement of each instrument. The repeated placement of the percussion instruments in a desired position may enable a drummer to deliver a more consistent performance.
To maintain such consistency, a drummer may attempt to duplicate a practice setup (i.e., relative positions and orientations of percussion instruments during practice) when the drum kit is moved to another location, for example, for a performance. Duplicating the practice setup at a new location may be challenging when using visual memory and recall to position each percussion instrument. Furthermore, even slight deviations in the practice setup may adversely affect the drummer's performance.
Time constraints may also come into play when duplicating the practice setup in a new location. For example, music venues may impose predetermined schedules for equipment load-in, stage preparation, and sound check for each band prior to the start of a performance. Therefore, the drummer may become rushed and incorrectly position percussion instruments when attempting the duplicate the practice setup under time constraints. This may adversely affect the duplication of the practice setup and therefore the drummer's performance at the venue.
Some drummers may place tape, such as gaff tape, duct tape, etc., on a drum mat (which also may be referred to as a drum rug) to provide visual cues for replication of a practice setup. However, tape is not durable and may become worn out over time. Moreover, it may be difficult and in some cases infeasible to reposition the tape due to the adhesive properties of the tape. Thus even slight adjustments in the drum setup may necessitate a drummer to use new strips of tape, taking extra time and energy. Additionally, tape may not fully adhere to a drum mat due to various environmental conditions (e.g., heat, humidity) as well as the properties of the tape's adhesive. Therefore, tape that is applied to a drum mat may be shifted during transportation, setup, etc., leading to incorrect drum placement, thereby negatively impacting a drummer's performance.